Electricity meter



July 25, 1933.

A. L. EMENS ELECTRICITY METER 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Original File d April 21., 1930 A TTORNE Y July 25, 1933. EMENS 1,919,213

ELECTRICITY METER Original Filed April 21, 1930 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 ENTOR A TTORNE Y i g 7726M- Patented July 25, 1933 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE ALBERT L. mus, OI LAFAYETTE, INDIANA, ASSIGNOB TO DUNCAN ELECTRIC MANU- I'AO'I'URIN G OOIPANY, OF LA. FAYETTE, INDIANA, A. CORPORATION OF ILLINOIS ELECTRICITY METER Application filed April 21, 1980, Serial Io. 446,088. Renewed April 30, 1982.

My invention relates to electricity meters and hasfor its object the provision of an improvement in the union between the meter bases and meter covers and also an improve- 8 ment in the construction of the looking or sealing devices employed in the meters. M invention, in one of its aspects, relates part1- cularly to meters employing cup shaped and lass covers whose rims engage the meter ases. I laterally extend the rim of such a cover to formla flange and provide a metal band surrounding the cover flange and continguous portion of the meter base. This band has a groove into which the flange projects and in which the flange is snugly received. Separable intereng formations, preferably bayonet projections and bayonet channels, are provided upon the base and band whereby the cover is held upon the base. I thus provide an improved union betweenthe cover and metal base of the meter which enables the cover to be firml clamped in position without danger of fi'acture. 4

My invention in another of its aspects relates to both the motor meter chamber and terminal chamber of the meter, each of these chambers having a cover which is p111?- vided with the improved locking or sea g device of my invention. These covers are provided with wings that referably extend along the meter axis w 'ch is vertical. That is, these wings are in upright planes. The are'in the region of and project beon one side of the terminal chamber. The looking or sealing member is preferably pivoted upon the meter base at said side of the terminal chamber, one end of one part of this locking member being proectible through the aperture in one of said wings, and the remaining part of the member being projectible-through the aperture in the other wing. The two parts of the aforesaid locking meinber that are individually receivable w1thin the apertures of the wmgs are desirably separately formed'and independently movable to enable either cover readily to be removed or laced without interfering with the as #0 sem ly of the other cover. In the preferred embodiment of the invention the wings are formed with holes through which sealing wire may be passed. This construction enables the employment of two sealing wires one individual to each of the aforesaid covers or one sealing wire common to such covers.

The invention will be more fully explained in connection with the accompanying drawings in which Fig. 1 is a side elevation illustrating the preferred embodiment of the invention, parts being broken away; Fig. 2 is a detail sectional view illustratin the preferred formation of the metal ban by which the cover is assembled with the meter base; Fig. 3 is a front elevation of a portion of the meter in the re '011 of the cover sealin or locking means; ig. 4 is a rear view 0% the parts shown in Fig. 3; Fig. 5 is a detail sectional view of part of the structure as it appears in Fig. 1; Fig. 6 is a erspective view illustrating a fragment of t e'cover, a fragment of the meter base, a fragment of the metal band surrounding the cover and the bayonet rejection and channel formations b whic the cover and base are assembled; ig.'7 is a Eerspective view of the structure shown in ig. 1 with two sealing wires added, each cover having a sealing wire individual thereto Fig. 8 is a side view illustrating the locking member adjusted to enable the use of one scaling to both covers; Fig. 9 is a view illustrating one of the covers in this instance, the meter chamber cover, released by the locking device while the other cover is still held by its locking device; and Fig. 10 is a view similar to Fig. 9 excepting that the locking device is adjusted to release the terminal chamber cover while still holding the meter chamber cover.

The meterbase is formed to constitute a wire common chamber 1 that contains the operating meter mechanism and a chamber 2 that contains the terminaIsLby which the meter is connected betweei'the line and load circuits. The eoverofifl meter 3 is preferably cup shaped and formed of glass. This cover has its rim or' base laterally extended to constitute a 4.- .I surround the rim or base end of the meter chamber cover 4 with I separately formed and .the ends of the parts 15 a metal band which is preferably formed in built up sections, one of these sections beingthe outer ring 5 and the other be' the inner ring 6. These rings are rive together,

the inner ring lapping the outer flat face of the cup rim an the outer ring having an inwardly projecting rim 7. The inner ring and this rim together define a groove into which the flan e of the 'cover pro ects and in which the auge is snugly received. The se arable inter-engagmg formations by whic the cover 3 and the meter base ma be assembled are desirably 1n the form diametrically opposite bayonet pro]ect1ons 8 extending from the meter base and diametrically opposite bayonet channels 9 provided within the inner ring 6. These channels slope soas to have cam gement with the bayonet projections to bring the flat face ofthe cover rim snugly against the meter base, .this construction being especiall desirable: where the meter cover is (are ar and the portion of the meter base engaged thereby is correspondingly clrcular or cylindrical. The outer covers said bayonet channels and guards the same from access of weather, whose access is'preferably further guarded 1nst by meansof a sealing gasket 10 w ch may be seated within a groove formed m the outer r ng 5. This gasket is lapped by the inner ring 6 and projects sufiiciently inwardly so as to have tight sealing engagement with the circular portion of the meter base surrounded thereby.

The meter cover 3 which is thus rotatively assembled with and disassembled from the meter base, s provided with looking or seahng means, whereby it may be held in 1ts assembly. The meter base is provided with the extension'2 which constitutes a terminal chamber. This terminal chamber has a cover 12 which may be hinged at one corner, not shown. The terminal chamber cover is also provided with looking or sealing means for securing it in closed position. The two covers 3 and 12 are respectivel ro-' v1 ded with upright wings 13 and 14. I wings are in the region of and roject beyond one side of the terminal c amber. I provide a loc g member which is inclusive of two parts 15 and 16 that" are preferably are desirably provided with a common pivotal connection 17 with the meter base and finger tip receiving notches 15', 16. The ivotal axis of the lockin member 15, 16 1s desirably parallel with e wings 13 and 14 whic are respectively formed with a rtures 18 and 19 for receiving the ends 0 the parts 15 and 16 that are remote from and 16 have been extended through the apertures 18 and 19, sealing wire may be passed ,through the ese secured to ether the the pivot 17. When holes 20 and 21 or the holes 22 and 23 in said ends, the first two holes being desirably small and circular and the latter two in the shape of crosses or slots. The sealing wire may be provided in two pieces 24, 25 re spectively individual to the lockin parts 15 and 16 of the locking device. Sea ing slugs 26 and 27 are shown as bein applied to the wire pieces 24 and 25, in Fig. 7. Either seal may be broken to release the cover to which it pertains without disturbing the other cover, bothseals bein broken i both covers are to be removed. ig. 9 shows the locking part 15 that pertains to the meter chamber cover, in unlocking position, so that this cover ma be released. This figure also shows the loc part 16 that pertains to the terminal chamber in locking posltion, so that this cover is not then releasable. For ease of illustration thesealing wires are omitted in Fig. 9. Fig. 10 shows the reverse of the conditions that are illustrated by Fig. 9. In Fig. 8 the two locking arts 15 and 16 arein lapping relation, so at a single piece of sealing wire may be passed through the holes thereof. t 15 arrangement when the single seal is broken both covers are released or releasable. In the embodiment of the invention illustrated the wing 13 has an angular base of arcuate curvature that conforms to the curvature of the ring 5, this wing base being rigidly united with this ring 1n any suitable way as by brazing. The inner ring 6 and the cover 3 may have interengagmg tongue and notch formations 28 and 29 to prevent possible creepafe.

Changes may be ma e without departing from the invention.

Having thus described my invention, I claim:

1. In an electricity motor meter, the combination of a base; a cu whose rim engages said extended to form a flange; a rounding the-cover flange and cont1 ous ortion of the meter base, said band ing ormed of an outer and inner ring that are inner ring lap ing the outer flat ace oi the cu rim and e outer ring having an inwar 1y pro ectlng rim, this rim'and the inner ring together defining a, groove in which the flange 1s snugly received and se arable 'interengagm formations provide .upon said base and and, operable to hold the cover upon the base.

2. In an electricity motor meter, the comase and 1s laterally metal band surshaped glass cover bination of a base; a cupJ shaped glass cover oute flat ace of the cup rim and t e outer ing the ring having an inwardly projecting rim, cover and said band have interengagin this rim and the inner ring together definformations to prevent creepage of the ban ing a groove in which the flange is snugly on the cover. received and separable interengaging bay- 4. The structure of claim 2 wherein the 5 onet PI'OJGCtiOIl and channel formations "rocover and said band have interengaging i vided upon said base and band, operabl e to formations to prevent creepage of the band hold'the cover upon the base. on the cover.

3.-The structure of claim. 1 wherein th ALBERT L. EMEN S. 

